Unfinished Business An Angela Panther Novel (A Chick-lit Paranormal book) (The Angela Panther Series) by Carolyn Ridder Aspenson Page B

little things that make life fun, and these cups made me smile every time I saw them.
    “I love those cups. I told my family if they ever break one of mine, I’ll disown them.”
    “It would be your only option. No one touches the cups but us. It is an unwritten law.”
    She put a bag down on the counter, and snipped at me. “Do not touch the merchandise. Get the coffee and I’ll get out the yummies.”
    “Yes, ma’am." I filled the coffee cups.
    Mel spread out an assortment of fattening, heart-stopping, sugary bliss, puffed out her chest and smiled her best, am I the greatest friend ever or what smile. “I brought the good stuff. I figured this calls for some serious sugar.” Four extra large confetti cupcakes – Mel’s favorite – two monstrously huge red velvet, and two vanilla with cream cheese frosting cupcakes, both tied for number one on my list of diet-destroying luxuries, sat on my kitchen table, and I already felt my butt growing. Next to them was a Cheesecake Factory variety cheesecake with extra huge slices of turtle and chocolate chip. We each took a cupcake and piece of cheesecake. I chewed quietly, but Mel made orgasmic-like sounds with each forkful.
    “Hmm, delish,” she moaned “So good. This is so good. I think I’m having a sugar-gasm.”
    Mel had a lot of food-oriented orgasms, and felt the urge to describe them all in detail. Thankfully she’d never done that with any other kind of orgasms. Yet. “Yesterday you had an Oreo-gasm,” I reminded her. “Pretty soon you’re going to be ’gasmed out.”
    “One can never have too many gasms." Her mouth was full and a little cupcake shot out. "Oh, sorry."
    “Oh geez.”
    She made more obnoxious moaning sounds. “I bet Nick loves it when you eat something you like.”
    She stared at me. “Um, are you referencing sugar laden yummies or something sexual?”
    “Depends.”
    “On what?”
    “On how much TMI is involved in the sexual one.”
    “A lot.”
    “Ew. Then sugar laden yummies, definitely.”
    She took a bite out of a confetti cupcake and let out an over the top moan, just to gross me out.
    “Stop it. I don’t need the visual.”
    We both laughed, and stuffed our faces with more sugary goodness, then chased it all down with warm, soothing coffee. There was nothing better than a sugar and caffeine high with your best friend. Not even sex. Yes, I really did say that, hard not to when you’ve just eaten a little bit of Heaven. “I so needed this.”
    Mel was serious. “So how are you, really? I barely heard from you the whole time you were gone.”
    “Yeah, I know. I figured it wasn’t appropriate to text during the memorial service. People might find that rude.”
    “People are so sensitive.”
    “I know. It’s annoying.”
    “Seriously though, how are you? You put on a good game face, but I know you. Are you sleeping?” She took a hair band from her wrist and pulled her long, black hair into a ponytail.
    “I’m fine, really.” I filled my mouth with a big bite of vanilla cupcake and looked out the kitchen window. “I’ve seen her, you know.”
    Mel’s forkful of turtle cheesecake stopped in midair, and her mouth dropped open. She turned and peered out the kitchen window, too. “Whaaat?” She put the bite of cheesecake in her mouth, and talked while she chewed. “What do you mean, you’ve seen her? Like in a dream?”
    “Nope. Like floating next to me when I’m wide awake.”
    She shook her head. “You have not.”
    “Yup. I have.”
    “Stop messing with me, Ang.”
    “Not messing with you, Mel. I’ve seen her. Blue robe and all.” I took a forkful of her cheesecake and moaned as I chewed it, just to distract her. It didn’t work.
    “Holy shit.”
    I scraped the last bite of cheesecake off of her plate and licked the fork. “Pretty much how I feel, too.”
    “Well.” She gulped down her coffee. “Wow.”
    “That’s all you’ve got to say about it? ‘Well, wow?’ Seriously?”
    “I know. I’m